‘The Little Mermaid’ Live-Action Film Modifies Song Lyrics To Include Consent
deadline.comThe live-action Little Mermaid starring Halle Bailey and Jonah Hauer-King will have some of the songs updated to modern times, composer Alan Menken recently shared.
Songs like “Kiss the Girl” and “Poor Unfortunate Souls” have gotten their lyrics modified to allow consent. “There are some lyric changes in ‘Kiss the Girl’ because people have gotten very sensitive about the idea that [Prince Eric] would, in any way, force himself on [Ariel],” Menken told Vanity Fair in an interview.
Menken, who wrote the lyrics for the animated film worked with Lin-Manuel Miranda to change some of the words. In the scene where “Kiss the Girl” plays, Prince Eric is encouraged to kiss Ariel, who at this moment doesn’t have a voice anymore. “Poor Unfortunate Souls” also has a line that was revised where Ursula says, “The men up there don’t like a lot of blabber, they think a girl who gossips is a bore, yet on land, it’s much preferred for ladies not to say a word.” Menken added, “We have some revisions in ‘Poor Unfortunate Souls’ regarding lines that might make young girls somehow feel that they shouldn’t speak out of turn, even though Ursula is clearly manipulating Ariel to give up her voice.” The Little Mermaid hits theaters on May 26 and it’s directed by Rob Marshall with a screenplay by David Magee.
Other actors in the movie include Melissa McCarthy as Ursula and Javier Bardem as King Triton. The cast includes Daveed Diggs, Awkwafina, Jacob Tremblay, and Noma Dumezweni, among others.
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